What Does Chronic Wasting Disease in Deer Really Look Like?

Not all deer infected with CWD look sick. Here's what you really need to know about this nasty prion disease.

by
posted on November 1, 2023
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **

Chronic Wasting Disease, also called CWD, is a kind of prion disease to which members of the Cervidae family--deer, elk and moose--are vulnerable. Although there's no evidence that eating venison from a deer with CWD can infect humans, it's strongly discouraged by every health organization out there. (It's not hard to understand why, given that CWD works in much the same way as Mad Cow Disease, which definitely can infect people who eat tainted beef.) How can hunters tell if the deer they've got in their crosshairs might have CWD? For answers, we're turning to the experts at the National Deer Association

In this video, you'll see that not all deer infected with CWD look sick at all. In fact, the sobering news is that most of them don't. That's because CWD affects the brain in a progressive way, so most animals with CWD in the wild wind up dying of something other than CWD before they start to look sick.

And what do these brain-damaged deer die of? Well, they wander into the path of cars and guns more often than healthy deer ... and that means that, if you live in an area where CWD is present, your chances of harvesting a deer that has it are higher than getting one that doesn't. That said, there are things that we as hunters and conservationists can do to help keep ourselves--and the deer population--healthy. Here's what they are! 

Latest

Savage Proof Testing Lede
Savage Proof Testing Lede

What Is "Proof Testing"? Savage Arms Demonstrates

When a company tells you their firearms have been "proof tested," here's what they mean ... and how it's done!

What the "21-Foot Rule" Means for Self-Defense

In a defensive situation, things can happen very quickly. How fast? This fast.

NRA Family Columnist Serena Juchnowski Partners with SIGHTRON

Competitive shooter and outdoor writer Juchnowski won our writing contest 11 years ago, and she's just getting started.

Video Review: Kimber KDS9c

Many double-stack 1911-style pistols are a bit hard to conceal ... but not this one!

3 CCW Ideas for Active Lifestyles

Hiking, biking and horseback riding ... with the right concealed-carry setup, safety and comfort go hand-in-hand.

First Impressions: Smith & Wesson M&P15 AXE Rifle Series

Created for suppressed shooting, these four 5.56 NATO rifles look sharp and shoot with scalpel precision.

Interests



Get the best of NRA Family delivered to your inbox.